Basilica del Santo Niño

The Basílica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú, or simply the Santo Niño Basilica, is a Catholic minor basilica in Cebu City, Philippines. It was originally founded by Augustinian friars Andrés de Urdaneta and Diego de Herrera in 1565. It is the oldest church in the country and is purported to have been built on the site where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú was rediscovered during the expedition of the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. The original image of the Child Jesus was presented by Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon on the occasion of their royal baptism in 1521. The image was later found by a soldier named Juan de Camuz 40 years afterward, following Legazpi’s burning of a local settlement. The present building was completed in 1740 and was designated by the Holy See as the "Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines". It is administered by the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu. Pope Paul VI raised the shrine to the status of minor basilica through his pontifical decree Ut Clarificetur Nomen on 1 April 1965. The decree was signed and notarized by Cardinal Amleto Cicognani.

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